Before you write off the rest of the year

Yesterday was 1st October. The beginning of the final quarter of 2026.

One of four dates that ought to persuade us to stop, look up from the diary and decide what happens next.

January, April, July and October. Four opportunities to review progress and choose the next set of goals.

Yet October can become the quarter of “we’ll sort that out after Christmas”.

Before you know it, you are wearing a paper hat, wondering where the year went and making promises about January.

Let’s give ourselves a different ending.

This weekend, I’d like you to find an uninterrupted hour to think about what you want to achieve between now and New Year’s Eve.

Start by looking back. What went well over the last quarter? What remains unfinished? Which ambitions still matter, and which deserve to be retired?

Then look forward.

Imagine it is 31st December. What would make you feel that the final quarter had been time well spent?

Perhaps your practice needs a clearer financial picture, better diary utilisation or a management team with clear responsibilities.

Perhaps you need to get home earlier, rebuild your exercise routine, spend more time with people you love or finally book that trip.

Your personal goals deserve space alongside the business ones. A successful practice should help you live the life you want.

Choose a few outcomes. Goals that you actually want, rather than a collection of things you think a respectable practice owner ought to want.

Something that excites you. Perhaps something that makes you a little nervous.

To help, we have created The Campbell Academy 90-Day Goal Setting System©, a conversational assistant within ChatGPT.

You can access the goal-setting assistant here.

Choose “Start Business Goals” or “Start Personal Goals”. It will guide you through our worksheets, asking one focused question at a time and helping you turn your thoughts into a clear list of goals.

You don’t need polished answers before you begin. Working out what you want is the point of the conversation.

A word about privacy. Creating this assistant does not give me or The Campbell Academy access to your ChatGPT conversations. You can choose to share your goals with us, but using the assistant does not automatically send us your answers.

ChatGPT’s own privacy terms and your account or workplace settings still apply, so this is not a promise of absolute confidentiality. Review those settings before entering sensitive information.

Once you have your list, put it somewhere you will see it. Decide what the first step looks like and give it a place in next week’s diary.

Keep returning to your goals as the quarter unfolds. Small, consistent improvements can add up to meaningful progress.

The temptation will be to postpone this hour because there is too much to do.

That is precisely why it belongs in your diary.

Make a coffee. Close the inbox. Give yourself permission to think.

New Year’s Eve will arrive soon enough. Decide this weekend what you want to have achieved when it does.